Larry Lee Crotser

Larry Lee Crotser, age 72, of Nixa, Missouri, died peacefully surrounded by his family on Sunday, July 27, 2014.

He was born in Fayette County, Illinois, on January 26, 1942, the son of the late Frank "Tom" and Flossie (Kistler) Crotser.

Larry was raised in Brownstown, Illinois, and was a 1959 graduate of Brownstown High School. He was a member of the Four Mile Christian Church and had been attending the Ozark United Methodist Church until his health prevented.

On April 22, 1961, he married Charlotte Radliff in Brownstown, Illinois, sharing nearly 53 years together.

Larry started a long career in the shoe business in Vandalia, Illinois, and worked his way through Missouri at Jumping Jacks in Cassville and Monett, retiring with S.A.S. Shoes in San Antonio, Texas. He and Charlotte moved back to Nixa, to be near their daughters and grandchildren.

He will be dearly missed by his wife, Charlotte, of Nixa, Missouri; two daughters, Tracy Cowherd, of Ozark, Missouri, and Dr. Dawn Negre, of Aurora, Missouri; four grandchildren, Dr. Stephanie Cowherd, of Denver, Colorado, Claire Cowherd, of Ozark, and Rachel and Nathan Negre, of Aurora; one sister, Carolyn Blankenship, of Keyesport, Illinois; one half-sister, Patsy Schutz, of Illinois; and several nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be held from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, at the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home. A graveside service, under the direction of the Gieseking-Claggett Funeral Home in Brownstown, Illinois, will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 2, 2014, at the Griffith Cemetery in Brownstown. Visitation will be held from 10:00-11:45 a.m. on Saturday in the Gieseking-Claggett Funeral Home prior to the graveside service.

Memorial donations may be made to The Arbors at Ravenwood in Springfield, Missouri, or the American Lung Association in care of the Crafton-Cantrell Funeral Home, 303 S. Jefferson Ave., Aurora, MO 65605.